CHARACTERS:

Tom Riddle : Douglas Booth

Lily Luna Potter : Saoirse Ronan

NOTES: The story is set during Lily Luna's time, so the plot begins around two years after the Epilogue. It will be separated into three parts (Him, Her, and Them), and I'll admit, that the idea comes from the movie The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014 – directed by Ned Benson). Title is from the song Hurts by Help, and the quote is from Inception (2010 – directed by Christopher Nolan). If you've never heard of the song, or watch the movies, you should go check them out! They're really good :)

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

You're waiting for a train

A train that will take you far away

Everything was white. And light. And so, so, so bright. He stood alone, no longer wearing his dark robe. Instead, he was wearing his old worn-out black pants and raggedy sweater – the same outfit he had worn the morning before he killed his first kill; his own uncle. His throat tightened as he observed that his hands were no longer waxy and cold, remembering the last time he saw his hands weren't skeletal-looking was that day before he created his first Horcrux. He was dead, wasn't he? So what the hell had happened to him now? He grew up as a Christian back in the orphanage, and he couldn't help himself when he wondered whether he went to what the Muggles believed as Hell. Because surely, after everything he did, after all the lives he took, after all that he destroyed, he wouldn't end up in Heaven.

You are no longer the Dark Lord, Tom.

Tom. It had been so long since anyone, other than Dumbledore and that wretched boy, had called him by his birth name. He had hated his name. His filthy, Muggle father's name – that was how he called it. It wasn't the fact that his name was so common and so ordinary and so…common. No, he hated it because he was named after the man who abandoned his mother. When he heard his name being called one more time, his head whipped around, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. He appeared to be alone. Where was he anyway? Everything was white, blindingly white. It wasn't a place he thought he would visit once he was dead. It felt too…serene, he could sense that much. So, it wasn't Hell, but where was he? He'd died, hadn't he? And wasn't death supposed to be bleak and depressing?

"Where am I?" he demanded.

Suddenly, images began to form – images from his past. His days terrorising the kids in the orphanage, then moved to that time when he set the Basilisk loose. He saw himself killing his uncle, taking the precious Gaunt ring right from Morfin's cold, dead body. He watched impassively at his past-self slaughtering the whole Riddle family, barely blinking when his past-self used his bare-hand to squeeze the life out of that young boy, who he presumed could only be his half-brother. It went on and on, showing all the horrible things he had done in his life. When it reached his last memory, Harry Potter's face being the last thing he saw before the Killing Curse he sent at the boy went right back at him, he couldn't stop himself from flinching.

He had died. All because of that four-eyed brat.

You can change it all. You can have another chance. Turn your life around, Tom. Make it all better.

Another chance. Another chance at world-domination. Another chance at getting rid off the filth that pestered the world. He would have to go through the pesky process of growing up again, of going through the painful phase of puberty. But in the end, if he got what he wanted, if he succeeded, it would be worth it. He would truly conquer the world, just like he knew it was destined for him since he realised he wasn't normal.

"Fine. I'll take it," he answered, an evil glint in his cold eyes.

Don't waste this last chance you have, Tom. You will never get another.

Oh, he wouldn't waste it, alright. This time, he'd make sure that no meddlesome brat from a stupid prophecy would get in his way to conquer the world. He would be the greatest wizard of all time, and that would be it. He would prove Dumbledore how wrong that old coot was.

He would prove that love could never be the most powerful thing in the world.

"Congratulations, Mrs Scamander! You have a healthy baby boy!"

"Oh, Rolf, isn't he the most beautiful thing ever? Look at his eyes! I bet he can see Wrackspurt without the help of Daddy's glasses. He's going to be the most brilliant boy in his year."

"Of course, Luna. He's our son. He's going to be as perfect as you are."

"I'm going to name him Thomas. After that Muggle book you love."

"What? Tom Sawyer? Sweetheart, are you sure you want to name our brilliant boy such…simple and mediocre name?"

"Tom Sawyer is a special boy, and our son will grow up to be just as special, if not more. My Thomas will shock the world with his intelligence and compassion, the same way Tom Sawyer did. And even if he fails, it doesn't matter to me. He's my son, and I'll always love him no matter what."

"Alright, alright. You can name him whatever you want. Just don't monopolise our son too much. A growing boy needs his father too, you know. And I will be the best father ever."

For as long as Tom could remember, he had always known about his past-life. The moment he was old enough to be aware of his surrounding, he had known all along that this wasn't the first time round he went through this whole growing-up thing. He was probably around five years old when he remembered everything. The memories came little by little, and by the time he was ten, he'd remembered it all. The older he got, the more vivid the details were. He had to admit that it was a little unsettling to have memories of himself as a seventy-year-old man when he hadn't even gone Hogwarts yet. But it mattered not to him. He went through his days with other thoughts bothering him. Namely how different his life this time than it was almost a century prior. Tom couldn't help himself from comparing both of his childhood.

Back then, Tom was born in an orphanage where he didn't fit in, and lived with other unfortunate children who had called him freaks growing up. He hadn't known whom his parents were until it was very late. He grew up to be an angry-child who hated the world, all because of a cowardice father who wouldn't own up to his responsibility, and a weak mother who was foolishly in love with a jerk. For all his life until his death, Tom had no one that he could count on. He had followers, but none of them cared for him the way he had always craved deep in his heart. His Death Eaters were loyal to him, but it was out of fear, or for their insane obsession for the power and purification of the world that he promised them. He never minded it before, the fact that he was alone, because he never knew what he'd missed. You couldn't miss what you never had, right?

This time though, everything was different.

Tom had a mother now, and she was every bit the kind of woman he had always wished for. She was a little weird and sometimes, Tom had no idea what she was talking about. But he loved her. The feeling was weird, and when he first felt it, he thought he was feeling a little under the weather when his heart warmed at the way she ruffled his hair when he proudly showed her the little Niffler he got from great Grandpa Newt. And that time when his mother got sick because she accidentally ate a bad-mushroom, Tom was positive that he was ill when he felt tears prickling in the back of his eyes. Tom had never cried before. Not even when the older kids in the orphanage would lock him in the cupboard when he was still little, leaving him in the dark and cramped space for hours until Mrs Cole found him there. But the thought that his mother was going to die when he'd only experienced having one for a decade, it nearly killed him. He once wondered why was love so good when it could be painful. But wouldn't trade it for anything though.

He would never give Luna Scamander up.

If having a mother weirded him out so much, he wouldn't even begin with his father. His father back then was the reason why everything had turned out so bad. So naturally, Tom hated Tom Riddle senior. But his father in this second-life he had was nothing like his previous one. Despite being one of the best student Hogwarts had ever seen, Tom had never, in his past life, flown on a broom. He never had anyone to show him how, and he never had the money to buy a broom. Besides, he always thought flying on a broom was silly when he could always Apparate anywhere. His father now not only made sure he had a decent broom, but also made sure that he was taught how to become a fair flyer. It turned out, like everything was about Tom, he was more than fair. Following in his great Grandpa Newt's footsteps, Tom would later become a Chaser, and was one of the best in his year. When he was asked who had taught him to fly that well, Tom would proudly say that his father did. In his past-life, Tom never thought that there would be a day that he would adore his father.

That he was proud to be Rolf Scamander's son.

Slowly, without realising it, Tom had forgotten his initial intention on taking that second chance. He never forgot who he was, but he no longer remembered his genocidal desires. All he cared about was how he could make his parents proud of him – how he could keep that smile on his kind mother's face, and how to keep that boisterous laugh coming from his father. After all, he was no longer Tom Riddle with the awful agenda to conquer the world.

He was Tom Scamander now.

Red hair. Blue eyes.

Dumbledore had once likened him to a magpie. Just like the bird, he too was very easily attracted to shiny, pretty things. In his mind, something that was physically beautiful could only be the best – and all he had ever wanted was the best, both as Riddle or as Scamander. It was probably why he was so attracted to her. From the moment he saw her, he was immediately drawn to her like a magpie would to shiny things.

Red hair. Blue eyes. Skin pale and unblemished, safe for the light freckles that dusted her cheek. When she smiled, he was convinced he had never seen anything more lovelier. She was the angel to his devil; the perfect opposite of the evilness that he represented.

It was just a pity that no one seemed to see that.

("Tom, this is Lily. Promise me that you will always protect her, okay?")

("Pomise, Mum. Lily safe wiv Tom.")

Tom wasn't at all shocked that he was once again Sorted into Slytherin. No matter how much his parents' love and affection had changed him, he was still the same ambitious, cunning and manipulative monster who would do everything he could to fulfill his needs. True, his end-goal had shifted greatly. But he never lost that thirst to prove himself that he was superior to everyone else. He did feel a little disappointed though, because deep down, he had to admit, he sort of hoped that at least he would get Sorted into Ravenclaw like his mother. After all, wasn't he supposed to be a changed man? To be an all-around better person? If he ended up in Slytherin again, wouldn't that mean he would be bad again?

But his musings were interrupted when the door to the Great Hall was slammed opened, revealing a young girl with fiery red hair being led inside by Rubeus Hagrid. Even from where he was seated, Tom could see her uncanny blue eyes shone brightly in excitement. When the girl waved excessively at him, the slightly older boy had to bite on his lip to stop himself from laughing. The ageing gatekeeper apologised profusely to Minerva McGonagall regarding the girl's late arrival, saying that she had sneaked into his hut to say hello. The Headmistress merely cocked an eye brow, giving both the half-giant and the little ginger a smile before nodding at her newly-appointed Deputy, Neville Longbottom, to take out the Sorting Hat again so they could Sort the girl.

"Potter, Lily," Longbottom called out, winking at the girl that Tom had known all his life, what with her being his mother's Goddaughter.

Tom watched from his seat as his best friend since forever took a seat on the stool, legs swinging back-and-forth in anticipation as she waited for her father's best friend to put the Hat on her. Everyone was waiting with baited breath, eyeing the last child of Harry Potter closely. Her brothers were giving her identical smiles, a spot was ready for her in the Gryffindor table. It felt like forever until the Hat finally made its decision. This was the longest it took the Hat to sort any of Potter's kids. The Hat barely grazed the James' head when it screamed out 'GRYFFINDOR' to everyone. It took the second-son Albus a little longer, and everyone was expecting him to end up in Slytherin, what with him befriending Draco Malfoy's son on the train ride to Hogwarts. But Albus too ended up in Gryffindor, joining Scorpius who was Sorted before him, much to everyone's utmost surprise. Almost five minutes passed when the Hat finally made its decision, and judging by the way the light dimmed in Lily's eyes, Tom could only guess what her House was.

"SLYTHERIN!"

Tom was the only person to clap for the longest time, until he was followed by Albus and Scorpius. It was awhile later when everyone finally clapped for the shocked redhead. Taking small steps toward the Slytherin table, Lily looked like she had just received her death sentence. In a way, she just had. By getting Sorted into Slytherin, she very well just condemned herself to a life-time of bullying. No one would care that she resembled her mother very much, except for the eyes she seemed to inherit from her uncles and maternal grandfather. Everyone would only care about the fact that she was Sorted into the House of the Devil, when even Draco Malfoy's son was Sorted into Gryffindor.

"What did I do wrong, Tom?" the girl sobbed later that night as the two friends sat together by the fireplace in Slytherin's common room. "Am I secretly that evil? Does this mean that I have disgraced my grandmother's legacy?"

"You've done nothing wrong," Tom said, awkwardly patting the redhead's knee. Even with his mother's influence now, Tom still found physical contact a little unsettling. "You're the kindest person I've ever known. There must be a reason why you're put in Slytherin, but I don't think it's because you're evil. I think that's because you're brilliant."

"Then why didn't the Hat put me in Ravenclaw? Why did it have to be Slytherin?"

(Yes. Why does she have to be in Slytherin? She deserves better.)

"Because I need you," Tom blurted out before he could stop himself. "I guess the Hat saw how close we are, and maybe he decided that we should stick together. After all, I do need the company."

In an instant, Lily's state of distress faded away as she realised for the first time that he was Sorted into the 'wrong' house as well. "Merlin's beard! I forgot that you too are stuck here! I am so sorry for being so selfish. It must be so awful to you as well."

"I'll live. Don't worry," he assured her with a small smile. "As long as we're together, I'm sure nothing bad will happen."

(There was a time, when that Muggle Hitler was still around. When the Germans would drop tons of bombs down the streets of London. When he was born as a product of a Love Potion instead of actual love between his parents. There was a time when he lived in the orphanage with Mrs Cole and the other orphans, and he would spend every weekend waiting at the front-door of the orphanage, quietly hoping that one of the adults that came would be his parents. He was eight when a bully named Jimmy Rogers dumped a bucket of dirty water on him, laughing cruelly at his drenched sweater, saying that nothing good would ever happen to Tom because -)

("-a freak like you only deserves to die like the filthy bastard you are, Riddle!")

(Tom could still remember the way Jimmy Rogers screamed when Tom set him on fire.)

"Isn't she…?"

"Yes, she is. The little abomination."

"Sshh! She can hear you!"

"Who cares? The devil needs to know her place anyway."

"Don't say that too loudly. Her boy-toy won't be too happy to hear that."

"I still don't understand why he's willing to put up with her."

"Birds of the same feather. No doubt he's as twisted as she is."

"The old professors once said that he reminded them of You-Know-Who. Maybe he is that evil creep. And I dare bet that his demonic friend is Bellatrix Lestrange."

("I am not her!")

Despite being in Slytherin, Tom became very popular among the students – just like he was nearly a century ago. His good-looks, combined with his beyond-compare intelligence, made life so much easier for him. There was also the fact that his parents' teachings changed him into a good person, and that was definitely the reason why people liked him. He was top of his year, became a Chaser for Slytherin in his second year, and no one was surprised when he became a Prefect in his fifth-year. He was still a little aloof and awkward when it came to interacting with people, but at least he didn't see them as a potential threat that needed to be exterminated. That was just the way he was. It added to his charm though. By the time he was in his fourth year, he was everyone's favourite person. Boys wanted to be his friend, and girls wanted to be his girlfriend. Hell, he was pretty sure even some boys wanted him as well. When he accidentally blurted it out to his parents about all the attention he was getting, he was worried that they'd find it suspicious. But they merely beamed at him and told him to always treat everyone nicely.

It was one of those rare times that Tom was thankful his parents were weird.

For the first time ever, Tom actually had friends instead of followers. They weren't from his year though, seeing that most kids his age were too dumb for him. His friends were none others than Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy themselves, who were two years his senior. Being who they were, the two boys were a little paranoid when it came to making friends. But one day, they saw how eleven-year-old Tom was looking into DADA books for fourth-year, and it intrigued them, especially Scorpius who was the top of his year. Long story short, after the older boys asked him why was he reading books far more advanced for him, the three of them became friends. It mattered not that they weren't of the same age, and were from different Houses. Tom would never admit it out loud, but he actually liked the two boys. They always listened to him, never treating him differently. Whenever he needed help, even if it was as trivial as getting him a book that was on the shelf that was too high for his younger self, they would always help him. As years passed, Tom began to understand why Potter cherished his friends greatly. Your first love would always be your parents, but there was just something from your friends that you couldn't get from you parents, no matter how great they were.

If everything went swimmingly for Tom, the same couldn't be said about Lily. From the first morning after the Sorting, it seemed like everyone in Hogwarts was against her. The Slytherins were rather alright, actually. They mostly ignored her, acting as if she wasn't there. It was kids from other Houses who treated her horribly. They believed that there was something wrong with her, and that she was probably the devil in disguise. It wasn't exactly helping that most of her cousins turned their backs on her, feeling a little embarrassed that their long-line of Gryffindor history was tainted by her. Even her oldest brother James didn't do much when he witnessed his friends picked on her. The only people who defended her were Tom, Albus and Scorpius. Albus and Scorpius made sure that the older kids would stay from Lily, while it only took little for Tom to channel his inner-evilness to scare the kids in his year so they wouldn't terrorise Lily. A lot of times he ended up serving detention because he lost control of his temper and punched someone in the face for making Lily cried.

But the three boys weren't always there, and Lily's tormentors seemed to realise that.

By the time they were in their fifth year, the girl Tom had known all his life began to change before his eyes. Lily was no longer the little spitfire who would smile and laugh over every little thing he did, who would give him hugs every morning, and would jump around instead of walk in her seemingly never-ending happiness. The redhead he adored became quiet and timid, who would bow her head in public and avoid everyone at all cost. She would take great lengths to make sure that she didn't stick out, and had long mastered the art of poker face whenever someone called her names. She even went as far as Charming her hair into a dull sandy-brown colour so she wouldn't attract too much attention. When Tom tried to defend her in her honour, she would pull at his hand, and shook her head no, wordlessly begging him to just quit it. The change in her worried Tom greatly, and he began to feel that his two oldest friends bubbling up inside of him.

Hate and anger.

Tom never flinched at the thought of murder. Even now as Scamander, if anyone ever spoke bad about his quirky mother or his awkward father, he never hesitated on sending a jinx at them.

For Lily, if they ever harm one single strand of her hair? He would make them all bleed.

The day Tom found out that his mother had a rough childhood shocked him to the core. His mother was the kindest and purest soul he'd ever known in both his past-life and current one. Sure, she could be a little weird at times. But Tom didn't think it was reason enough for anyone to treat her horribly. You shouldn't alienate someone just because they were different. He remembered all the times the kids in the orphanage would single him out, even though he realised that he wasn't exactly the easiest person to deal with. Back then, Tom really was a monstrous little thing. His mother though… She deserved to be treated like a queen because she deserved that – and more.

Just like his Lily.

"I hate to think that you went through all that bullying alone," thirteen-year-old Tom told his mother. "You're the nicest person I know. You didn't deserve that."

"I don't think anyone deserves that, Tom," his mother replied. "But people have always feared differences, both Muggles and wizards alike. That's just the human nature."

"It doesn't mean that it's right though. Why don't anyone ever stand up and help? It's not really that hard. All they need is to tell those idiots off."

Tom was confused when his mother laughed, even though the sound pleased him. "That's because they're not you. I can never say that everyone is bad, or everyone is good. But you, my dear boy, you have good in you."

"Just like his mother," his father quipped, suddenly appearing behind his mother. "True, you have your moments that make me want to smack you for being a brat, but you do have good in you, Tom. And that's a good start."

"You two are good people," Tom said as his mind went back to his past. "You're the best for me."

"Then that's why we're such an awesome family," his father said, winking cheekily at him, which brought a smile to Tom's face. "We're a family of the best people in the world."

Tom was nearly sixteen when he first learned the Patronus Charm in his fifth year. The DADA teacher, who was none other than the young Teddy Lupin with his lanky built and neon blue hair, told the whole class that conjuring the Patronus Charm wasn't something that everyone could do so easily. Although he hated it, Tom had to admit that the blue-haired Metamorphmagus was right. As Riddle, what with his lack of love and happy thoughts, Tom was never able to conjure a Patronus Charm. He never tried to do it, he just knew that he wouldn't be able to. Therefore, even though he was still a little sceptical, Tom was rather anxious to try it this time. He had happy thoughts in this second life, and he sure loved his parents and would do anything for them. He hoped it was enough.

Everyone in the class began to shout the incantation of the spell, but no one seemed to be able to make anything but silver smoke that evaporated just seconds later. Throwing a brief glance all over the room, Tom made a small grin when he saw no one managed to conjure the Patronus yet. He quickly focused his mind though, when his nemesis, a stupid Ravenclaw going by the name Marcus Tophorn, cocked an eye brow in a challenging manner. Tom would never allow himself to be defeated, least of all by an idiot like Tophorn. The Slytherin took time to control his breathing, calming himself enough so he could gain inner peace. He then began to sort out his memories, picking out the happy ones before shoving the ugly ones to the deepest corner of his mind. He thought of the time his beloved mother hugged him after she recovered from the poisoning that nearly took her life, the time when his ever-supportive father declared that he would be the best Quidditch player ever… But his greatest memory was back when he was a little over a year old, when Lily was just born.

("I pomise, Mum.")

"Expecto Patronum!"

There were two voices that rang out louder than the rest of the students, one of them was Tom. He watched with giddy excitement when a silver fox ran out of his wand, nuzzling on the crook of his neck affectionately. On the other side of the room, he saw that a silver swan was pecking Lily's head gently with love, and Tom realised that the other voice must be Lily's. Their eyes met, huge smiles began to grow on their faces as they waved at each other. It was then that the weirdest thing happened. Tom's fox looked up from his neck at the same time Lily's swan peeked from behind her legs. Before anyone could see it coming, the swan flew toward the fox, who ran to meet the bird halfway on its journey. Just when they looked like they were about to collide, the two animals transformed into two dolphins, male and female. Everyone in the room watched with wide eyes as the dolphins swam around in what seemed to be glee and absolute joy, making noises that Tom bet was the equivalent to human giggles.

"Whoa…" Hugo Weasley breathed in awe, the first person to break the silence. "I didn't know Patronuses could do that."

"Neither did I, kid," Teddy said, eyes still on the dolphins. "Neither did I."

("Why do you live?")

("Because I have something worth living for.")

That four-eyed prick was right. That bloody wretched brat.

Not that Tom would admit it though.

"Are you mad? What are you doing? You could have died!"

"Maybe I wanted to die, Tom! Has it ever crossed your mind that I don't want to live?"

"You're insane, Lil. You can't die. I won't allow it."

"Don't tell me what I can and cannot do. I'm so sick of people telling me what to do."

"Lil, I'm telling you; don't jump. If you jump, I… I…"

"You will what, Tom? Answer me."

(Once upon a time, when Tom was only nine years old, as he was lying in his mother's bed with her arms around him, just hours after she recovered from a horrible case of food poisoning, he asked his mother why people loved when it hurt so much. All the woman said was, "Because it's not exactly living without a little love and pain.")

His parents were so proud of him when he got the Head Boy badge. Even though he'd guessed that he would get the badge, he'd admit that he was still a little surprised to find it in his pile of mail. His father lost his badge to Percy Weasley, and his mother never finished her seventh year because she chose to take care of her traumatised father after the War. Thus, he came with the resolution that he'd be a better Head Boy than he was back in his past life. It was easier said than done though. When he was still Riddle, the kids feared him and he had no one to care for. Whatever he did was all for his own interest. He could have resorted to using Dark Magic, and they wouldn't blab about it to anyone. This time though, while a lot of the kids still feared him, he had to control himself. If anyone ever found out about how he leaned more to the Dark Side, they would no doubt tell the professors about it, and that would lead to his parents. The last thing Tom wanted was for his parents to find the truth about him. So he tried his best to control his emotion, no matter how much he itched to use a Dark Magic. Even back when he was still Riddle, Tom was all about control.

But when he saw Marcus Tophorn, the seventh year Ravenclaw who had something against Tom, ripping the buttons of Lily's clothes while the girl was fighting with all her might to push the bastard off her, Tom simply lost it.

("No, no, no! Oh, Merlin, no… Help! Help me, ple – TOM! TOM, PLEASE HELP ME!")

It was scary how easily he embraced the darkness within him, his constant company since ages ago.

It was a Saturday morning when Tom went to have breakfast and found Lily was nowhere in sight. She would usually meet him in the common room, and then they would walk together to the Great Hall. But ever since a certain event not long ago, they hadn't been walking together much. However, since Lily would sometimes had an early start than he did to avoid people, which wasn't often, Tom thought nothing of it. He went to the Great Hall when the girls in his year told him Lily wasn't in the girls' dormitory. But when he couldn't find her in the Great Hall, he began to feel antsy. Lily rarely missed breakfast because she wouldn't survive the day without her daily orange juice. He began to feel like something wasn't right. The Head Boy quickly finished his breakfast so he could search for the girl. He spent nearly the whole morning looking for her, and was about to give up, when something tugged in him when he went past an empty classroom where he once made a Horcrux almost a century ago. He took out his wand and Dismantled all the Charms that Locked the door, all possible scenarios were filling up his head. Nothing prepared him for the sight of his sobbing flower about to get raped, screaming out her pleas as well as begging for him, for Tom, to save her.

All he saw was red before he attacked the Ravenclaw. Even though it had been decades since he took a peek on his extensive knowledge of Dark Magic and used it on anyone, with all that rage and hatred in him, Tom had no difficulties at all. He fired hexes after hexes, and curses after curses, feeling himself consumed with the overwhelming desire to eradicate the filth from the world. Tophorn had hurt his Lily, and the scum would pay for it gravely. He had no doubt that he could have killed the Ravenclaw, if it wasn't for Lily small whisper of his name. Only then did Tom snap out of his insane rage. Blinking his eyes rapidly to gain his focus, Tom barely recognised it was Tophorn who was curling on his feet, nearly impossible to recognise with all the boils and blood and bruises covering every inch of his skin. The Head Boy's main concern was how small and broken Lily looked, lying not far from where he was with her ripped shirt and missing skirt. He felt an unbearable pain on his chest when he noticed that Lily was suffering from a broken arm, and that her blonde hair was matted with blood. Scooping her into her arms, totally indifferent to the fact that he nearly killed his fellow school mate, Tom ran as fast as he could to the infirmary.

"Don't leave me, Lily," Tom whispered the whole way to Hospital Wing, his tears blurring his sight without him realising it. "Please, please, please don't leave me. I can't…I can't…"

("We've all got both light and dark inside us.")

(Don't take my light from me. I need my light. I need her. I need her.)

"Um… Hello, God. I uh… It's been a long time since I prayed to You. I think the last time I did it, that Hitler was still around and Muggles still smoked like a chimney. So, I'm really sorry if this isn't the correct way to…to start a prayer. As a wizard, a Pureblood now, I don't know whether You'll still hear me. Hell, I don't even know whether You even listen to Muggles for real. But, for Lily, I guess I'll…take a chance on this whole praying-thing."

No answer. Not like he was expecting for one.

He was talking to God. Even with his limited knowledge, he knew God wouldn't answer him directly.

"Lily doesn't have a nice life. From the moment she was sorted into Slytherin – that's our House name, but I figure You know that already – she's been through a lot. Even her family sort of turn their backs on her. And it's really not fair. Lily's the purest person I've ever known, second only to my mother Luna. Why would You condemned her to such a horrible life? I thought God was supposed to be fair. Why did You give Lily all those horrible things when You gave me, a monster, such a great life? That's wrong. You are wrong."

Despite himself, he strained his hearing, hoping to hear something, anything.

Still, it was silent.

"God, if You're really there, if You're really listening, please make everything better for Lily. I… I don't know why You did what You did, but stop punishing her. I don't usually beg, but I am begging You right now. Stop everything. Give her a better life. She deserves all the good things in this world, and so much more. If it doesn't come for free, then take whatever You need from me. I'd gladly trade my life for hers. My…my happiness for hers. Just don't make her suffer anymore. Please…"